August freutel



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUST FREUTEL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LOCK FOR SAFES, &c.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 24,802, dated July 19, 1859 To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUST FREUTEL, of the cit-y and State of New York, have invented, made, and applied to use certain new and useful Improvements in Locks for Safes, Vaults, Banks, &c.; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation ot the same, reference being had to the annexed drawing, making part of this speciication, wherein- Figure l, is an elevation of my lock complete. Fig. 2, is an elevation with the capplate removed and a portion of the main tumbler removed to show the parts beneath, and Fig. 8, is a vertical section through the key and bit.

Similar marks of reference denote the same parts.

Several locks have heretofore been devised in which turning knobs have been combined with a key or handle by which the bolt is actuated; in these instances an experienced person can give a slight end motion to the bolt by the handle or otherwise and turn the successive knobs, when it will be felt that the parts ot the tumblers come into contact with the wheels or similar devices on the turning knobs producing a motion except when said knobs are properly placed, thereby said locks can be picked or opened.

My invention relates to that class of locks in which turning knobs or their equivalents are used in connection with a key or handle to throw the bolt, but by my arrangement of mechanism all opportunity for feeling the proper position for the parts is out off, be cause the wheels or their equivalents, on which the security of the lock depends, are carried away from the said knobs instead of coming against the parts connected to said knobs; and as an additional security I make use ot a series of tumblers that may be fitted to permeate, in combination with the aforesaid wheels and knobs.

In the drawing a, is the lock case ot' any desired form or size; b, is the bolt with one or more heads, or connected to bolts in any usual manner; c, is a key bit on a spindle c, and moved by the handle c2, so as to project the bolt by coming in contact with the talons 2, 2, or act to withdraw said bolt, as usual, and any desired mechanism may be provided in this connection for projecting or retracting the bolt as my invention does not relate thereto.

Upon the face of the bolt b, I have shown cross levers d, d, see dotted lines Fig. 2, for the purpose of insuring the full motion of the ixed key, 0,' because if the handle c', did not receive its full motion upon being turned in either direction the levers d, d, actuated by their springs 8, 8, would complete the movement by pressing on the sides of the key bit c, and permit the `other parts to assume their true position the same as if the handle were fully turned.

On the inside of the box of the lock I attach two or more studs e, e, (I have shown four). Each stud carries asleeve f, that projects through the cap plate g of the lock and through the exterior dial plate L, and receives on its end the knob is, that is secured to said sleeve by a screw as shown, or by a cross pin in any usual manner; the base of each knob 7c, is made as a disk onto which letters or other characters are placed, and at z', on the plate h, an index or pointer is provided to which the particular letter is to be turned in manipulating the lock.

On the inner end of each sleeve f a ratchet wheel 4, is provided, having the same number of teeth that there are characters on the base of the knob la, and 5, is a spring pawl to each ratchet wheel 4. 6 is a gear wheel on f, with a similar number of teeth to the ratchet wheel 4:.

Z, is atumbler thrown up by the key bit c, and descending by its own weight or b-y a spring, said tumbler having openings through which the sleeves f, pass, so that said tumbler is free to move up and down beneath the wheels, 6, 6. On this tumbler Z, are studs 9, 9, carrying wheels m, m; these wheels correspond in position and number of teeth to the wheels 6, 6, so that when the tumbler Z, is raised, the teeth disconnect from each other and the notches 8, 8, take the plates 7 7, on the lock case and allow the tumbler to raise and the bolt to be locked or unlocked.

It the knobs k, be turned to spell any particular word while the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 2, when the tumbler descends the wheels m, gea-r into the wheels 6, and the two can be rotated by the knob la, indiscriminately, but the lock can not be either locked or unlocked until the knobs are turned in to the former position as indicated by the characters, when the notches 8, 8, will pass over the plates 7, 7, allowing the tumbler Z, to be raised; but no indication of the position of the notches 8, 8, can be arrived at by feeling the knobs 1, 7;-, because the tumbler Z, carries the wheels m, away from the wheels 6.'

11, is the stud on the bolt and 12, the talon on the tumbler, to prevent the bolt being drawn back, unless the tumbler is raised as usual.

As an additional protection I make use of permutation or combination tumblers 0, in a case or slide p, said tumblers being projected forward by levers g, and springs.

fr', is a plate forming the key, and the shape of the end is such, compared with the tumblers, that when pressed in, a series of notches in said tumblers will be brought into a straight line and allow the cross piece n, of the tumbler Z, to ascend with the said tumbler, and unless these tumblers are properly placed by the key as aforesaid the tumbler Z, cannot be raised.

I-Iaving thus described the construction and operation Aof my said invention, and shown the benefits resulting therefrom, I remark that the simplicity, durability,

cheapness, and eiiciency of my lock will be fully apparent without further description.

I do not claim two or more gear wheels, to one of which a knob is attached, and in the other a slot is formed, as these are old, but I know of no previous instance in which the slotted wheel, upon which the security depends, has been conveyed away from the knob wheel, by which its position was set, so as to avoid all possibility of vibration being given to the first wheel and its knob by the periphery of the second wheel coming in contact with the plate intended to enter the slot when the wheel is properly set; thus indication of the position of this slot is effectually prevented.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. The slotted wheels m, (on the tumbler Z,) and the plates 7 in combination with the wheels 6, of the knobs 7c, when said wheels m, are so arranged that the act of unlocking or attempting to unlock the bolt moves the wheels m, away from the wheels 6, in the manner and for the purposes specified.

2. In combination with the tumbler Z, carrying the wheels m, and acting as aforesaid, I claim the cross piece n, and tumbler o, substantially as, and for the purposes set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my signature this seventeenth day of May,

AUGUST FREUTEL. Witnesses:

LEMUEL W. SERRELL, THOMAS Gr. HAROLD. 

